WHY SCHOOL? (1)

Schooling for many people is to prepare them for a solid, safe financial future and this is where many get it wrong. While securing a future is a good thing, schooling is designed for a more holistic purpose. As I have said in my previous post, wrong department or not, school builds a total man (or woman). At best what your departmental choice will do for you is to bring you basic concepts and terminologies that will make training easier. So why school?

1. TO SHOW YOU ARE ABLE TO HANDLE YOUR LIFE (MATURE)

A number of us got into school early. For someone who finished schooling at 21, I was still not the youngest in my class!  We had guys who could not handle their finances and kept on calling home for reinforcement. One guy lost all his property during the first week. It was like boarding school all over again. Most had issues with academics, no longer being in a regimented environment, they experienced liberty (sweet liberty) for the first time and instead of attending lectures, went playing console games. They ended up becoming FIFA champions (getting free games from the game shop) and academic failures.

Coming to school and graduating tells a lot about your ability to handle yourself and your own. For so many, puberty has fully had its work  and they now adorn an awesome set of beards or curves that they take through life to torment the have-nots! Beyond that, interacting with people helps you approach life from a wider perspective. You are no longer impulsive, always wanting things done your own way. You have learnt to be accommodating of the beliefs, lifestyle choices, eating, sleeping patterns and more of others. In essence, you are now a mature individual.

Being able to go through school successfully, places a feather in your cap that even your parents have to respect. I remember coming home for the holidays and mum heading out to church on Sundays without the usual calls to hurry up and get going. It was a level of trust. Being over several kilometres away, there was little she could do to affect my choices in school and she understood perfectly that at that point things could not be imposed anymore (Dad still did though).

There is a level of maturity that comes with schooling. I have heard a lot of guys talk about how they were ashamed to collect money to get a haircut after school. It was usually very hilarious to hear that the same guys who would readily collect funds just 4 years back were now finding it hard to do!

A popular saying goes " You should not just pass through the school, let the school pass through you!". One of the things you must ensure you take stock of is the person you are becoming and the perception that people have of you. While the latter may not be too critical, the first is gravely important because ultimately you are the product of your own hands and cannot place the blame of your "upbringing" on anyone any longer. If you are stingy, a nag, talkative or any other trait you find unsavoury the best time for you to make amends and corrections is now.

We live in a society where the average person has a template for his/her life. After school, you are expected to get a good job, get married and start a family. All these are predicated on the fact that you are matured enough for it because of your finishing school.

Focus on the man (or woman) you are becoming.